MISSED CHANCES TO SAVE LOGAN
Safeguarding review lists ways murdered lad, 5, was let down
MULTIPLE chances to save five-year-old abuse victim Logan Mwangi’s life were squandered, a safeguarding review has found.
Logan was murdered by his mum, stepdad and stepbrother weeks after being “stepped down” from the child protection register.
Mum Angharad Williamson, 31, stepdad John Cole, 40, stepbrother Craig Mulligan, 14, were all jailed for life over Logan’s murder.
He was killed just five days after Mulligan moved into the family home following a rushed family court decision, despite his violent upbringing and threats to Logan.
Logan was found dead in a river 400 yards from the family home in Sarn, Bridgend, Wales, in July 2021.
He had 56 injuries including a torn liver and trauma to the brain.
A report that examined police, school workers, NHS staff and social services found there were multiple failures in the months leading up to Logan’s death.
He was removed from the child protection register 13 days after mum Williamson burned his neck with a hot spoon.
Logan had been on the register since March 2021 but some child protection visits took place virtually due to Covid restrictions.
The report cited a lack of faceto-face meetings during the pandemic as a barrier to “effective child protection practice”.
There was an absence of one-toone sessions with Logan outside of his family home and he had no “safe spaces” to speak about what was happening to him.
Social workers failed to consider Logan’s mixed-race heritage possibly making him a target for former National Front member John Cole, the report said.
It found that Williamson and Cole were able to hide their abuse of Logan due to Covid restrictions and that social workers were too scared to force meetings.
High levels of staff absence due to Covid were also noted.
Yesterday Claire Marchant, director of social services at Bridgend County Borough Council, admitted it had not taken into account Cole’s criminal past or warnings about Mulligan’s obsession with violence. Ms Marchant
We need more staff who are supported and who work together better
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said that a separate review will look at why Mulligan was allowed to live with Logan.
The report recommended 15 measures, at local and national level. It said the local health board should commission an independent review into how they investigate non-accidental injuries in children and young adults.
It also said the Welsh Government should order a review into how child protection conferences are conducted, and review information sharing systems.
Finally, it said the Family Court should ensure that social work assessments into child placements take at least 12 weeks.
Mulligan’s was completed in just four.
Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds MS, a former social worker, welcomed the review and said there was “no blame here”.
But she added: “We need more staff who are supported and who work together better. A review needs to happen of child protection services across Wales.”